After returning to his room, Sieg found a box sitting neatly on his bed. He opened it, revealing rows upon rows of jars and vials, each filled with mysterious substances.
He picked up one particular vial, inside of which was a vivid crimson liquid. Uncapping it, he gave it a careful sniff.
"Hmm... This is the blood of a Druddigon."
Sieg confirmed his guess using his keen sense of smell, cross-referencing the scent and color with information he'd found in his research.
He glanced at the inventory list inside the box. Just as expected.
"Noibat fur, Axew scales, and so many other rare Dragon-type materials..."
Sieg couldn't help but marvel at the vast resources the Joy family possessed. With this massive haul of Dragon-type ingredients, Crawdaunt's training in Dragon Dance could finally begin in earnest.
"But first things first, I need to concoct a tonic suitable for newborn Pokémon. Let's see..."
Sieg pulled out his Pokédex, entered his password, and accessed the digital library of the Rustboro Gym. He quickly found a recipe for a formula designed to nourish and awaken the potential of young Pokémon, helping to strengthen both their physique and innate talent.
The difficulty was relatively low, something even a beginner-level breeder could manage with ease.
"First, shave a bit of resin from a piece of ebony wood. Then, crush the black berries into juice..."
Wasting no time, Sieg cleaned off the desk and began preparing the tonic. He worked with meticulous precision, delicately handling each vial, measuring every drop of liquid with practiced control.
Once all the ingredients were mixed, he placed the solution into a specialized processor and let it sit for half an hour. In the end, what emerged was a small bottle of pitch-black liquid. Bubbles still gurgled and popped inside, giving it the eerie appearance of some kind of poison.
Sieg glanced at the analysis displayed on the machine.
"Perfect. Come on out, Murkrow. Drink this."
He released Murkrow from its Pokéball.
"Kraaa..."
With a flash of white light, a shadow burst into the room, flapping its dark wings and crying out with a piercing screech.
Sieg raised one arm, inviting Murkrow to perch. After a moment of hesitation, it flapped down and settled on his sleeve.
He gently patted its head, a rare warmth flashing in his eyes.
"Drink this, Murkrow. It'll be good for your future growth."
He lifted the bottle to Murkrow's beak. After sniffing the contents, Murkrow didn't hesitate. It drank the potion in one gulp.
A satisfied smile appeared on Sieg's face. The complete trust Murkrow placed in him, without a hint of suspicion, filled his heart with a quiet joy.
Moments after drinking the tonic, Murkrow felt a strange warmth flood its body. A strange energy spread through its limbs, and within seconds, drowsiness overtook it. The little crow dozed off peacefully.
Sieg chuckled, then grabbed a Luxury Ball and returned Murkrow to rest.
Turning his eyes to the now fully darkened sky, Sieg wasted no time. He pulled out the Dragon-type materials the Joy family had gathered for him and began crafting Pokéblocks specifically tailored to aid in mastering Dragon Dance.
Meanwhile, he opened a video tutorial he had saved from Rustboro Gym's library, one that taught the Dragon Dance technique through the demonstration of other Pokémon. He let Crawdaunt watch carefully.
While Crawdaunt studied the video, Sieg stood at the side, patiently refining the Pokéblocks with great attention to detail.
The night passed in quiet diligence.
The next day, at the Pokémon Center's training grounds...
"Murkrow, let me see the techniques you've mastered so far."
Sieg looked up at the bird soaring above him.
"Kraa..."
Murkrow's raspy cry echoed with fierce determination. Its wings cut through the air effortlessly, and as its beak began to glow with Flying-type energy, it shot downward with deadly precision.
Peck!
"Well done, Murkrow. Can you show me more?"
Sieg's eyes gleamed with approval. Murkrow's flight pattern was still a little off, but that could be corrected later. More importantly, its control over energy was excellent, and its physical strength was far above average for its kind.
A Pokémon with four inherited moves truly was a cut above the rest.
Murkrow continued circling the wooden target below, staying eerily silent. Just as Sieg began to wonder what it was up to...
"KRAAA!!!"
With a sudden screech, Murkrow unleashed an explosive cry. The force of the sound shattered the wooden target instantly.
Sieg's eyes widened.
"That was Astonish! Murkrow, you've really mastered that move!"
Murkrow fluttered back to Sieg's shoulder, bashfully hiding its eyes behind one wing.
Back at the breeding house, it had always been a mischievous trickster. Its Prankster nature had led it to constantly use Astonish to startle and tease its companions. Those were the darker pages of its childhood, ones Murkrow hoped its trainer would never discover.
Sieg, however, didn't press the issue. He asked a few more questions and confirmed that Murkrow hadn't mastered any additional moves for now.
"Kraa..." Murkrow cawed softly, a bit disheartened.
"No worries, Murkrow. Once you level up, you'll be able to master your inherited skills one by one."
Sieg instructed it to resume flight training. This time, the instructor was Fearow.
With its vast experience soaring across raging seas and violent winds, Fearow's flying technique was textbook perfect. There could be no better teacher. With that settled, Sieg turned his attention to his second major concern.
"Crawdaunt, it's time to start training Dragon Dance!"
Sieg now fully understood why most ordinary trainers only registered up to six Pokémon with the League. Once the numbers grew, so did the workload, and training multiple Pokémon became a logistical nightmare.
Even with just four registered partners, Sieg already felt exhausted. Managing each Pokémon's diet, care, and training was far from easy.
Crawdaunt had already consumed the specially crafted Pokéblocks rich in Dragon-type energy. That energy should now be active in its body.
"Crawdaunt, focus your mind. Concentrate on channeling your inner energy..."
Sieg had no shortcut to teach the move, only persistent mental conditioning.
Luckily, Crawdaunt had studied the instructional video thoroughly the previous night and now had a basic understanding of what to do.
Following Sieg's guidance, it began to draw out the dormant Dragon energy within its body.
As the minutes ticked by, a red-violet aura slowly began to radiate from Crawdaunt.
Then, its body began to move in rhythm, first a slight twitch, then a swaying motion that built into a powerful, primal dance. The Dance of the Dragons.
In under a minute, Crawdaunt's energy surged. With a final dramatic sweep of its pincers, it opened its eyes wide and roared.
"Craaaw!"
The Dragon Dance was a success!
The combination of tutorial videos and specially tuned Pokéblocks has helped it grasp the fundamentals of it. That alone spoke volumes about the difficulty involved.
Inherited techniques were supposed to be relatively easy to awaken, yet even with all the help, Crawdaunt had required a full night of focused effort.
"No wonder Dragon-type techniques feel so extraordinary," Sieg murmured, watching as each of his Pokémon gradually entered a proper training rhythm.
He then thought about Murkrow's own inherited move, Brave Bird.
As one of the most devastating Flying-type techniques, its acquisition difficulty would likely rival or even surpass that of Dragon Dance.
"I'd better start preparing for that now too."
Sieg watched as Murkrow soared above, tirelessly pushing itself under Fearow's guidance. A faint smile tugged at his lips, the satisfaction of a trainer watching his partners grow blooming quietly in his heart.